Bicycle Informations

How to Buy a Bicycle

This seems like as good as any time to discuss the purchase and wheel size. If you already have a bike and are not interested in obtaining another, you can skip the amount section. Having more than one bicycle is a great way, though, especially if your bicycle is your only form of transport.

Will start from low saying that at the end of the bike-shop bicycles have gotten much better over the past 10 years, we really can not go wrong. As a general rule, this is an additional expenditure of money amounting to around $ 700 or $ 800, then you are payments for things that really do not need. If a person is a bicycle shop, which tells you about some cool features of the bicycle is (as a bar press the button shifters), which are likely payments for things that do not need. The functions you need to have your bike pedals that go around, brakes that work and shifters, who work; Everything else is vestigal. This does not mean that you must buy the cheapest functional bike, you simply need to know that the extras are not really necessary.

Note that I said low at the end of the bike-store * * bicycles. Do not buy from target bicycles, Toys R Us or any other non-bike shop. These bikes are cheap to hazardous roads, the brakes are particularly bad. They are heavy, they are built by morons, and they are practically impossible to adjust accordingly. Do yourself a favor, buy a reasonable bike. Expect to spend $ 250, in which case, you get more than what they pay.

I, should receive some conditions laid down here. Your frame has 4 pipes:

TOP TUBE: The, uh, the top tube. The rear brake cable usually works on it.

SEAT TUBE: tube that holds the seat post.

DOWN TUBE: A pipe on a diagonal from the bottom. It is shifters of some road bikes, usually waterbottle brazes, and shifter cables usually run on it.

HEAD TUBE: * not * a cheesy porn flick. This is the short tube that connects the tube down to the top tube. Inside it are

STEERER pipes and stem.

STEERER TUBE: tube connected with the fork (which kept the front wheels) and Current events in the head tube.

STEM: Control of STEERER pipes and has handlebars. It is adjusted by Allen bolt (usually) on top.

SEAT post: Holds seat. It is adjusted to bolt at the top of

SEAT tube. He holds a place in the table, the seat is governed by a bolt of this table.
We look for opportunities in the following minimum bike:

Aluminum wheels: Not only are they lighter than steel, they are easy to maintain the correction, and they are * * much better when wet braking. They say that upgrading your wheels is the easiest way to increase the efficiency of your bike, start with the good ones.

NO idiot Tools: If your bike is a road bike with curved “drop” handlebars, brakes are mounted on hooks. ” Of cheap bicycles, in addition to the main brake lever, there is another lever that extends inwards, parallel to the bars. Do not buy a bike with these, they are extremely dangerous (they are not sufficiently brake for use in an emergency) and they are a sign that the wheel is not designed well. If your bike these Shpilki, I suggest removing them.

NO STEM SHIFTERS: Again, this is the road bicycles, some bicycles, the shifters are mounted on the stem (something which holds handlebars). The idea is that they are close to your hands and therefore easy to use, the reality is that you can raise your center of gravity in twisting your body to use them. They are also very sensitive to be affected by your knee while climbing (a very bad scene), and during the accident, they can finish goring your throat. Insist on fixing the pipes or bar at the end of shifters for road bicycles.

As probably know, there are three main types of bicycles:

ROAD bicycles: dropped handlebars, thin tires, tubes down shifters. Road bikes are lighter and faster and have significant advantages over other types of automobile tourism. They may also ride on packed dirt roads, without many problems, they can not make loose dirt or sand. One drawback of road bicycles are in Berkeley, California, is that since their narrow tires, they do not handle bumps and potholes, and other species. One advantage is that they are thieves do not seem to be interested in them.
Touring bikes, such as Bridgestone RB-T, are road bikes with wide tires and more relaxed geometry to handle bumps better. I find them to be excellent for commuting; my main commuting bike is Schwinn Voyageur (unfortunately, Schwinn no longer do so). They are slower than other road users bicycles, but quickly than other types.

One of the problems will have to buy road bike is that most bike shops do not carry such cheap, so it would be difficult to get a test ride on something cheaper than $ 500. Because I strongly recommend a test ride, this is a significant discount.

MOUNTAIN CYCLES: Does handlebars, knobby tires large, handlebar shifters. Mountain bikes Lavski own shares of the new bike market, they have fun and make a cool look at (people who want to look in their bicycle ride than they are willing to buy mountain bikes). They are much processing bumps, and can also ride loose dirt or singletrack trails. They are significantly slower than road bicycles on the road, just yesterday I was riding my mountain bike and felt like I had no energy at all. They also are targets for thieves in Berkeley, California; If you own a mountain bike, be prepared to take additional precautions to protect it.
Mountain bikes are perceived as more comfortable because your riding position is facing a situation; That is incorrect. This position is more convenient, while only see a bicycle, or maybe to a meeting of the bicycle shop. It puts more strain on the bottom of the spine and the lack of additional hand positions also causes problems for long walks. Mainly because of the theft problem, I can not in good faith recommend mountain bike for commuting in Berkeley, California. If you’re looking bike, you can take anywhere, or if the particular want to make out roads, mountain bikes, are much, but I think having them college every day is a bad idea if you have a private office where you can save them.

Hybrids: After the mountain bike boom of the early 80’s, people started realizing that they are not riding their mountain bikes out of the way. Since mountain bikes have significant shortcomings on the road, hybrids are designed to combine features of mountain bikes and road bikes. They usually are facing a situation riding position, but less than mountain bikes. Their tires are wider than road bicycles, but usually not too knobby. They are often handlebars with more positions from mountain bikes do.

As one might expect, they are quickly than mountain bikes, but slower than road bicycles. They are more than the theft of entire road bikes, but less than mountain bikes. They are loose dirt better than road bikes, but not very suitable for serious non-road riding. I find that hybrids make decent commuting bicycle riding, but faces a situation makes them undesirable for long walks. For a city riding they are good though. Tend to be very hybrid selections under $ 500, since they are aimed at casual users.

There are also recumbents (bicycles, which sits on what looks like a deck chair) and tandems. Recumbents are comfortable and to attract much attention, they are the worst climbing hills, but the best flats and downhills. There are recumbent market. Tandems (two male bicycles) are the most fun may have two wheels, but such good are expensive.

How to choose a bike
First, obviously, will have to decide how much money you are willing to spend. I advise you to be generous, as I said earlier, spending additional money will get a better bike. Expect to spend at least $ 250, you do not get many choices at this level, so realistically be expected to spend $ 300. If you can not afford to spend much, you can get good deals on good use of bicycles. If you look around lots of people never ride their bicycles and eventually finishing just dumping them. A quality used bike will serve you much better than the new target junker.

Once you are one price range, head of stock bike. Do not allow yourself to be rushed; test-ride bicycles and many do not skimp on walks (details of test riding below). Consider the theft of resistance, came to have a bike quick release seat that will have to buy cable, or take with you? Look within the joints, are welding (or brazes) clean or sloppy? There are wheels true? Brake lever end must have the most trips of about 2 inch (slightly less for mountain bikes) and you should not be able to go below. There sidepull brakes or cantilever? (Cantilever brakes are mounted on pivots at the fork and seatstays, with the main cable pulling Crossing cable, which straddles the wheel. Sidepulls are installed directly over the wheel with cable pulling them together on one side.) Cantilever brakes are good, if you plan to put fenders on the bicycle (which is extremely improve cycling in the rain). Sidepull brakes tend to work more smoothly and stay in better regulation.

How to test bike ride

The main things you’re interested in running for the exam must understand how the bike handles bumps, to find out how the brakes and shifters work, and see whether it is well established. Before you jump in bicycle shops must have a plan for you when they take your bicycle test. Take the bike of Hearst or somewhere like, How much does that jar when zapochvash down? When it reached bumps, you hear, unexplained Rattles? You can expect to snap your rear derailleur When you hit bumps, but if other things are rattling bike for this is a sign that something is cheap and poorly fitting.

To test shifters, start by reviving a flat road and by shifting all the appliances. Is it easily passes into the lowest gear? If you are over the shift in the lowest transmission, came to your derailleur seems government wants to destroy in the spokes? (If not, to stop attacks, but this is the number against the bike.) Do not change the brand in the highest transmission without jumping over the end? Can you do shift between the front chainrings easily without jumping off the chain? A triple crankset can be expected that the chain will jump off sometimes when shifting to small chainring, but twice, that should never hop off and hop it should never be shifting, where the distance to big chainring. Try each COG for some time, came the chain running smoothly and safely every COG, or do not chatter or go off one or more?

Try to downshift while pedaling uphill, it is difficult to shift with the tension of the chain and cheaper system attacks its will to succeed. If you are spending $ 500 or more, though, must insist that the wheel is able to make this change purely.

When you are riding uphill, you hear pinging sounds in the wheels? If not, they were poorly built; sounds will eventually go to the wheel, but will have to re-trued.

Head down and hit the brakes, to stop smoothly? You feel like you have control over your acceleration? Cantilever brakes are somewhat rougher by worry and feel spongier, so that we expect.

Walk a bicycle, as rendering the handlebars, they can turn smoothly through their range of movement, or do not feel like there are notches in different points (especially straight ahead)? Try some medium-speed turns on pavement, came on bike angle solid (if a road bike; knobby-tire bicycles horribly corner of the pavement)?

If you plan on riding out the road, finding pollution Tarzan or two (there are some college) and see how the bike handles them, can accelerate from the low speed of dirt? Would you turn without skidding? Can you do shift in bumpy section?
As said, try several different bicycles in its price range, there is no way to measure how good bike feels to you. And the most important thing is that once it buy, I BIKE!

Size bike
Not a good formula for determining the size bike and regulation, there is plenty of rules of thumb, but really bike adjustments are something very personal. You are the only one who can determine your perfect setting.

That said, here are some rules of thumb: Your seat height should be adjusted so that your leg is almost fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Test this sitting on the bike leading against the wall. Put your heels on the pedals and pedal back, your legs should be fully extended at the bottom. Most people adjust their seats too low; may have seen “cycle safety manuals that recommend keeping your seat low enough that you can put both feet on the ground while sitting in his seat (Hint: do not do this). Low seat height is the main reason for cycling knee injuries.

You can change the tilt of the seat of the loosening of the bolt of mass below. Most people are comfortable when the seat is the level at or just slightly tilted forward, but again this is a matter of personal preference. I comfortable setting with the seat tilted back.

Stem height advantage is something else, most people are comfortable when the height of the stem is approximately the same as the height of the seat; higher will give more riding faces a situation lower’ll turn over more. Mountain bikes usually have branches that replace handlebars slightly higher than the seat to promote riding facing position.
Stem extension is a measure of how far in front of the head pipe stem holds handlebars. It can not be adjusted without having to buy a new stem, but you might be able to get a good bike shop to swap stems from the wheel anew. If it feels like handlebars are too far, a stem with a shorter extension (ahem) might be useful to you. If you have a torso, a longer extension can help.

If you have dropped handlebars, the tilt of the bars can also be adjusted, usually stem bolt is where the clamps on handlebars. As a general rule, at the end of Up should be directed to a point somewhere between the beginning and middle of the rear wheel, but again, this is one thing advantage. According to some people it is the abbreviation other things, bars with pointing straight edge in the air, or as they paid position. I recommend against that, he invites impalement. Also, ALWAYS keep something stuffed at the end of their bars, whether it’s a plug that game with handlebar tape, a fancy expander plug, or a champagne cork.
It is for this to be adjustments. Always remember that your gut feelings are more important than rules of thumb, if more convenient, especially for long walks, with some non-standard setting, with all means use it. And with all the tools that make bike